Most software engineers must upskill by 2027 to keep jobs

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) won’t completely wipe out software engineering jobs. However, according to Gartner, it will require the vast majority of people working in the field to improve their skills and do so quickly.

The tech consulting firm said that 80% of the engineering workforce will need to upskill within the next three years to meet the growing demand for new roles created by the rise of generative AI.

While speculation that AI could reduce the demand for human engineers or even supplant them entirely are “bold claims,” the technology will reshape the market, according to Philip Walsh, a senior principal analyst at Gartner.

“While AI will transform the future role of software engineers, human expertise and creativity will always be essential to delivering complex, innovative software,” Walsh said.

In the short term, Gartner analysts expect AI to operate “within boundaries,” meaning that AI tools will generate modest productivity increases and will deliver the most benefit to “senior developers in organizations with mature engineering practices.”

According to analysts, AI is expected to “push boundaries” in the medium term, ushering in an “AI-native era. " This means that most code will be AI-generated rather than human-authored.

Finally, in the long term, advances in AI “will break boundaries” and lead to the rise of AI engineering. According to Gartner, organizations will need more rather then less skilled software engineers at this stage.

“Building AI-empowered software will demand a new breed of software professional, the AI engineer,” Walsh said.

The AI engineer will possess “a unique combination” of skills in software engineering, data science, and machine learning – skills that are “sought after.”

Gartner’s survey of 300 organizations in the US and the UK late last year showed that more than half of their software engineering leaders rated AI and machine learning engineer as the most in-demand role for 2024 and the area with the biggest skills gap.